Chapter 37 - Year 5, part 8

Author note: This chapter is a rollercoaster. Hang on for the ride.

December 18th, 1995

On every normal occasion, Hermione loved Hogwarts, and would have loved to spend every single day of the year here. But not right now.

Her parents had been planning for them, William and herself to go on Christmas holiday in Thailand this year. It wasn't said directly, but implied heavily between the lines that it was to get as far away as possible for just a bit of time, while William was still living at home.

Everyone knew that once Wills left school, he would most likely move in with either Ellinor or another classmate - and then get heavily involved in the war. She hated it. Hated that this would be the last year that she would be physically close to her brother. After this… Well, Ivy wouldn't need her cage in Hermione's room.

She would have an entire fucking room.

So why didn't the current news make her happy?

Why wasn't more time at Hogwarts with her brother, the best Christmas gift she could ever get?

Well, because it was forced down their throats. The students had barely sat down for breakfast, before they were told that this year's Christmas holiday had been cancelled. Just like that. Their parents had already been told of course, that 'the grades of the students of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was at the lowest it had ever been in the school's history. Therefore, the Ministry had seen no other way than to put in extra classes, so that this year's NEWT- and OWL-students would still be able to have a fair shot at succeeding in their exams.' So why not let every year off the hook, that didn't have to take their OWL's or NEWT's this year, you might ask? It's simple - 'Because they will have to take the exams at some point as well - and they need to be prepared.'

Honestly, it would make sense if it wasn't for the fact that their teachers praised them more often than not. Sure, they were teenagers who did stupid things and obviously didn't always want to make room for homework, but that didn't mean you couldn't make up for it in class. Right?

It would make sense - If it wasn't for the fact that Hermione had tried contacting her parents on and on about what was going on at school, without getting an answer. What she had received, where her care packages with letters so vague it was like robots had written them.

Everything of use or importance was left out of them.

Of course, there were the normal 'I put in some extra cookies', 'We love you very much', 'Mum bought some new treats for Ivy, we hope she likes them', 'Give Wills a hug from us - he's probably stressing about exams already' and so on. They were loving and… Hollow. It was like they were there, but not really.

Apparently, most everyone else had the same experience which made receiving owls from home extremely awkward. The students were terrified.

Then there was the thing with the younger students… At the beginning of the year, there hadn't seemed to be any issues with coming to her for help or advice if they needed it - she was a Prefect after all - but that seemed to have stopped almost from one day to the next. Now, neither she nor Neville were approached. Maybe it ought to have been a good sign. A sign that they had done their duty properly, and that the younger students now felt so good in the houses that they didn't need the guidance of older students, or a hug when they missed a parent's or a siblings birthday? Unfortunately, it didn't seem like it.

Instead, they were more withdrawn than ever. The Prefects had talked about it at one of their meetings, but it had quickly been shot down by Zabini of all people.

'Maybe they just don't need you to cuddle them, Bones.' He had sneered at Susan and that had pretty much been the end of any of that sort of meetings having included the Slytherin. But from Daphne, she knew it was an issue in the Dungeons as well. Only, it didn't seem like it was that big of an issue.

It wasn't just a question of her and her friend's sanity or well-being anymore. Now, it was a question of whether or not an eleven-year-old student had to cry themself to sleep at night in the darkness of the four-poster bed, because they didn't think they had anyone to talk to about it. Sounds harsh? Well, considering the amount of red, puffy eyes staring into their breakfast each morning it was happening more than it should.

No, Hermione wasn't angry at this point. She was bordering feral, and if that damn toad came anywhere near her this very second, she would shred the bitch to pieces. Hermione had acted nice, she really had. She had given what Umbridge thought she wanted; complete submission and the underside of her belly - figuratively speaking of course.

And it had helped, a bit. Umbridge didn't seem to be ignoring her just as aggressively before. Now, Hermione pretended she wasn't in the room, and Umbridge pretended she wasn't there either. It was completely fine, and utterly bullshit.

Hermione smiled to herself. Umbridge thought she had won - but thinking about their most recent class in the Advanced Defense Club where they had duelled successfully, Umbridge was getting anything but.

"You're pretty scary when you're smiling like that." Harry mumbled into his tea.

"Don't worry, Harry, I'm not done smiling yet." She grinned and stood from her seat.

"That's what's scary." Daniel added before biting into an apple.

Hermione didn't answer them as she walked a few meters down the table where she sat down across from the Weasley twins who looked mystified, to say the least, by her presence. Then came the scepticism.

It wasn't like they didn't talk from time to time. It wasn't like they couldn't be in the same room together either… But she knew, it was odd nevertheless.

They opened their mouths to most likely question her presence, but she was quicker; "I know I've been a bit pointy about it all, but I need something done, and I think you're the men for the challenge." She said in a low voice.

'Pointy' was the understatement of the century.

Fred and George looked at one another, before turning their suspicious looks back on her. "What's the deal? And what's in it for us?"

The twins had made quite a start of the year for themselves, what with their business and all. And Hermione, being a Prefect, hadn't exactly made it easy for them. She had caught them on multiple occasions trying to acquire first years to test several new products. The results, even if she could definitely see the fun in some of it, had unfortunately sent quite a few students to the Hospital Wing. That had all walked out healthy as a horse, a few hours later when the effects had disappeared once again, but it had sent the snowball rolling down the hill, and now the teachers also knew what was going on.

Including Umbridge.

"I believe we have a common… Course." She said, conspiratorially, as she leaned forward and grabbed a raspberry from a bowl, before popping it into her mouth. "I'd say there'd be plenty in it for you. I just want the issue… Subdued. All I need is some help - and distractions, every once in a while."

Grins slowly spread across their faces, "Who are you, and what have you done to Hermione Granger?" When she just shrugged, they held out their hands for her to shake, and said: "We believe you got yourself some help. Just tell us when."

Her grin matched theirs as she shook their hands and stood, handing them a piece of paper in process. "Think 'swish and flick'. You can spread the word if you'd like, but be discreet and don't get caught."

"But what does it do?" Fred looked up at her with big, curious eyes.

Hermione only grinned at him, and walked to sit by her friends.

"What did you do?" Daniel asked her, giving her a look of great caution. She merely shrugged, and dug into her oatmeal.

…

Twenty minutes later, the Great Hall slowly started to empty as students and teachers alike left for their schedules. Unfortunately for Umbridge, that meant her as well. Hermione stood with Harry by her side and positioned herself in such a way that Harry was between them, while she maintained a clear view of the toad.

As the woman stopped to scrutinize a Ravenclaws uniform, Hermione grabbed her chance by the horns.

"Hold up Harry, let me just fix your glasses - you got a scratch." She held him by the shoulder and pointed her wand at his glasses. But in a swift move, she pointed it to the side, whispered the curse, and pointed it right back to Harry who looked at her in mirth.

"Do I even get an explanation?" He asked as he straightened his glasses and picked up his bag.

"Let's just say that someone will be very uncomfortable until lunch." She said as she grabbed her own bag, and followed Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors to her planned naptime - History of Magic.

…

Come lunchtime, and the school was a mess of whispers. Rumours spread like wildfires, and everyone knew what was happening - but no one really knew why or how. And the best part? No one had been caught, so no one knew who was actually behind.

Hermione was full-on evil cackling inside her mind.

She had been sitting with her friends for a good ten minutes eating her steak and kidney pie, when the doors were flung open - honestly, it made Quirrell's 'Troll! There's a troll in the dungeons!', sound like kiddie play - and Umbridge stumped inside. She looked absolutely furious - and it was hilarious - as her arms swung angrily from side to side and her little heels made a loud clicking noise as she marched from one end of the hall to the other.

But that wasn't the funniest at all.

What instead forced Hermione to nearly thrust half of her fist into her mouth, while hiding behind Harry, to hide how bad she was struggling to rein in her laughter, was the fact that for every two steps, the toad stopped and squeezed her eyes so hard together, it looked like she was trying very hard to not look at something in front of her. 'Maybe if I don't look at it, it will disappear' - kind of thing. Soon enough, small giggles were heard throughout the room.

When Umbridge finally - half-falling and mid-semi-sneeze - made her way to the raised podium, she walked to stand directly in front of Dumbledore and leaned angrily over the table while her small hands grasped the table.

"I will not, ahh, ahh" She took a small pause where she looked around in what appeared to be suspicion, before she continued, "stand, aaahhh, ahhh, for, ah-ah-ahhhh, "this!" She shouted when she finally got the chance and followed shortly after; "This, is an, ahh, ahhhh, ahhhhhh attack! A, ahh-ah-ah-ah-aahhh COMPLOT!"

Someone laughed loudly at the back of the hall, and Umbridge whirled angrily towards the students with her wand raised at the ready. "I will find who," she looked utterly miserable as Umbridge made faces, scrunched up her nose and looked very intimidatingly up at the floating candles, "did, ahhh, THIS!"

By the end of her half-shouting and half-sneezing rant, the sound of wood scraping against the stone floor echoed around the room, and the students looked around in confusion.

Is someone confessing? Is someone pointing me out?

Her head whipped in the direction of the Weasley twins who met her eyes almost immediately. Then, one of them slowly shook his head.

It appeared she was in the clear, but were they?

"If I may, Dolores." The room was silenced by the small voice of Professor Flitwick, "This may be a simple jinx. If I may try something?"

"DO IT!" She shouted, and then continued to almost-sneeze for a full minute - as if her anger was intensifying the tickling sensation making her feel like she had to sneeze.

It was an unintentional thing she hadn't thought would happen, but you learn as you live, right? Hermione wasn't one to complain.

Their Charms professor finally took pity on her, raised his wand and in a clear voice, uttered: "Finite Incantatem!"

Umbridge stood as petrified for a few moments, as if she was waiting for something to happen. Then she sneezed so hard for a full minute, that she almost toppled over. Once she was done, she rightened her clothes and her hair, and turned back to face the students. It was clear to everyone that the toad was fuming, and Hermione had a small voice in the back of her head asking her, if pissing her off had been a bad idea.

Hermione thought about the questions that her parents never answered in their letter. About the first years who looked utterly miserable in their own skin.

Naah.

Umbridge's voice was nearly shaking of anger as she screamed, "I will find out who attacked me! And when I do, you will be EXPELLED!" Then she stomped all the way back down between the tables and out of the hall where Filch rushed to close the door after her, like the good servant that he was.

As the room once again started buzzing with the normal talking and laughter, Hermione dug back into her pie.

"Remind me to never piss you off." Harry whispered from beside her.

"Consider this your warning." She answered in a low voice, and hummed in delight at the taste of her pie and the small revenge she had gotten.

…

After a double Herbology lesson followed by dinner, Hermione and her friends found themselves in the Room of Requirement, ready to do the last lesson of the year in The Advanced Defense Club - Hermione, bringing the room a small present.

Harry started out their lesson by talking about dementors; What they were, what they looked like, where they were known to be and also what they did. He then proceeds to tell, show and teach them about how the Patronus worked and how it was done.

Harry had spent almost the entire evening the night before, talking to her and their friends about what he wanted to do and how. They had given him their advice, and together they had made up a plan that seemed to be working really well.

All eyes were on Harry as he talked, and as far as Hermione could tell, everyone was excited about what was to come. When he had finished and instructed everyone on what they should do, the room was almost alight with excitement and people stood, ready to cast their first patronus.

A few hours later, a few had succeeded at making a fully corporal Patronus while almost everyone else had made mists. A few still struggled, but Harry wasn't shy at helping and guiding them; their homework would be to practice while trying to find a powerful memory that they could use. "It's not easy to do this spell and it takes lots of mental work to succeed. You simply need a better memory and some time, and then it will work out fine."

Hermione, herself, had struggled until the very end then she had finally gotten a glimpse of a corporeal patronus. It looked a bit small and kind of like it was either swimming or floating, but she wasn't sure.

At the end, a lot of students had been bummed out about not making a fully corporeal Patronus.

"I know, it's hard. It took me months to be able to do one, and, in those months, I was all out against a Boggart. I'm trying to do this in a way that won't make a chocolate stash disappear in an hour while people are miserable. But once more of you get the hang of it, I'll see if we can maybe get a Boggart to practice on. For now; Hermione has some good news." Harry moved off to the side to make room for her, as she stood.

Her heart was absolutely pounding at revealing what she had spent so long doing. She had only just succeeded - and only because she had help from Draco and Theo.

"I know a lot of you have had some times where you were almost caught when trying to hand over a meeting time or simple information about the ADC to a friend, and I'm trying to prevent that from happening. Even if we're not allowed to have this group and even if we're not allowed to teach each other, we still have the right to a proper education. This, will make life easier." She lifted a Galleon for them to see.

"We're going to pay our way out of it?" Someone asked from the back, sounding like she had just handed him a chicken leg and told him to unlock a door with it.

"This isn't a normal Galleon," She answered as she tried her best not to roll her eyes at the stupidity in the room. "This coin is connected via a Protean charm to these." She lifted a small bag, and the sound of coins clinking against one another silenced the room. She gave a handful to Ginny, Harry and Neville who then handed one out to each member of their group. "With the Protean charms, a time and date can be sent from our master coins - to your coins. When a message is received, it will grow hot. The message will be at the place where a normal serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin, normally would be found.

"Merlin, Granger, do you ever sleep? A bloody Protean charm." Terry commented, obviously gobsmacked. He then continued to comment on how it was NEWT-level magic, and how was she not in Ravenclaw?

"Oh, I sleep just fine." For about three to four hours a day until this past Saturday - thank you very much. "The hat did actually try to send me to Ravenclaw, but here we are."

She had almost made it to the point of insanity when trying to get the bloody coins to work. Not enough sleeping and not enough nourishment had, over the last few weeks, sent her spiralling while trying to work it out. Because it had to work! But how? When she had fallen asleep against Draco one evening after refusing to tell him what was going on, she had finally succumbed to telling him and Theo about the ADC and what they needed. He and Theo had then made it their life's assignment to make it work.

Well, they had helped her, sure… But Draco had been pretty sour with her since, and they hadn't talked. It was only a few days, but she felt it nevertheless. Especially after Potions earlier that day, when he had promptly walked at the front with the other Slytherins, instead of sneaking into the middle of the group to hold her hand - as he always did.

Harry then stepped back in to take over after Hermione's talk, and she sat back down. "Up until today, we had thought today to be the last session of the year. It still might be. Since the announcement this morning about the Christmas holidays, we've decided that if we see the need for it, we can put in more sessions. Though, there's also the possibility that Umbridge will do everything she can to make sure that none of us get any free time - we'll just have to see what happens. Keep your Galleons on you, and have as pleasant a Christmas as you possibly can. Goodnight."

She, Harry and Daniel watched the map as Neville, Ginny, Cedric and Cho's footsteps followed on the same path until Cedric and Cho's turned away in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower - while Neville and Ginny's walked in the direction of the Gryffindor one. Soon after, the trio followed in the footsteps in complete silence.

It was late, but not late enough for curfew to be up. They were simply three friends walking the halls in comfortable silence - happy to have accomplished a lesson that was well-beyond their school-year. when someone finally opened their mouth to utter something it was to say the password to their common room - when the portrait swung open right in front of them.

"Oh! Harry - I, I was just... Umm, I was looking for you. Got a minute?" Ron looked utterly uncomfortable in his own skin as he looked down on them from the entrance.

Harry, looking more confused than anything else, simply nodded. "I'll meet you guys inside, yeah?"

"Sure, Harry. We'll save you some candy if Nev and Gin haven't eaten it all." Daniel said with a shrug, and together they walked inside to find their friends exactly where they expected them to be - nose-deep in candy, in front of the fireplace.

She didn't know what she had thought would happen. Maybe he would try to convince Harry to get a hold of the car he had once flown to Hogwarts? Talk him into not being her friend anymore - gain? Make yet another prank on some first-year Slytherin, that everyone except the teachers (and most of the Slytherins) knew Ron was behind?

She wasn't entirely sure - with Ron, you never really knew.

But when Ron marched through the portrait hole - his face so red it matched his hair - and completely ignored everyone in the room as he rushed up the stairs and into the boy's dormitories, everyone knew that something had happened. But because of their full focus on Ron, no one really noticed as Harry awkwardly walked in as well, before he cleared his voice.

"Umm, Gin? Babe, can I talk to you for a second?"

Hermione looked from Harry, to Ginny, and back, as the couple stared at each other. Then, without a word, Ginny stood and followed Harry right back out the Portrait hole again.

"What the hell was that about? He looked like he was about to faint!" Daniel asked, even though all of them looked equally as perplexed.

"Or kill someone." Hermione added, considering Harry had looked like murder was somewhere in his close future. What on earth did Ron say to him?

"Maybe Ron decided to be arse - shocking, I know - and Harry just put him in his place." Neville insisted as he opened a Chocolate frog card; "Bummer. Dumbledore again."

"Fuck Dumbledore - and fuck Ron." She grumbled and leaned further into her chair to sit more comfortably. Her friends hummed their agreement but didn't say anything else.

More and more people left the common room after that, retreating to their dorms to go to sleep or relax with their friends - but the three friends remained. They hadn't discussed it, but none of them left since they wanted to wait for Harry and Ginny, and half an hour later, they didn't have to wait any longer.

"... tell them."

Every single face in the room turned to the portrait when the couple emerged, looking uncomfortable and angry. Very, very angry.

"Yeah, you go ahead. I'm going to think of ways where I might not instantly decapitate my dear brother." Ginny grumpled, pecked him on the lips and went up the stairs.

Well, at least they're not splitting up. Hermione thought with a mental shrug.

"What's going on, mate? You're killing us here!" Daniel said loudly, like he was literally the one who was the victim of whatever had happened. He obviously took it very close to heart that something had happened to Harry, but if it was only because he was just really curious, or because he had stepped into his protective mode, she couldn't tell.

Either way, she really wanted to know as well.

Harry threw himself on one of the couches. Sighed hard and his face behind his hands, before roughly sitting up and cradling his head in his hands. He then stood, paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, and sat back down.

Hermione was seconds off from standing to stop his agitated pacing, when he finally sat back down. "Harry? What's going on? You look like a bloody mess?"

Harry looked up at her, his eyes red and bloodshot. Only then did she realize that he had been crying.

"Harry?" She whispered, fear starting to creep in.

"I-" He started and stood abruptly, walked to the other side of the couch he had been sitting on, and leaned against it with his back to him. "I'm sorry, but I can't look at you when I say this, so this is just how it's going to have to go." He said harshly, making her frown deeply in confusion, as she caught the same looks from Neville and Daniel. "When Ron stopped me earlier, it was to tell me that… That he felt like Ginny and I wasn't a good match, and that I should break up with her. I should break up with her to… To be with him, instead."

"Bloody hell." Neville whispered, and sat fully back in his chair - in shock. "No wonder you're a bit out of it, mate."

Harry didn't answer but looked more than anything else, like he was steeling himself. Were there more to be said? "I obviously put him in his place, immediately. I love Gin, and I have no intention of leaving her, ever. But the thing is, at another place, at another time, I might not have been so quick to do so. The thing is, I… I like boys, too. I like both boys and girls. So technically, I could have liked him, if it wasn't because I despise the way he looks at the world and how he treats people that he doesn't like."

"Gay?" Daniel said, and she wasn't entirely sure, but was that… fear? She heard in his voice? "That's the thing with the..." Don't fucking say it you bloody idiot. Don't say it right fucking now. "That... AIDS thing… Isn't it?"

Idiot! If Hermione could reach, she would have slapped him. When she saw Harry wince, she wished she had just thrown herself across the table to give him a proper one.

"It's called being a bisexual, Daniel, which there's nothing wrong with - just putting that out there, Harry." She started matter-of-factly, but she wasn't done. Not in the slightest. Ignorant bastard. "You can get infected with AIDS through sex, by blood or from mother to child via childbirth - and those are still only 'can's' and not 'will's'. Even if Harry chose to have sex with a man who has AIDS there's no certainty that Harry would even be infected in the first place. Get your facts on point, Daniel, Live Aid is kind of old news." Daniel looked down like she had literally just slapped him across the face.

"Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean it like that." He mumbled and looked into his lap where he fiddled with the hem of his cloak.

"Yeah, I know. But what Hermione said, covers it." Harry said with a sigh and turned slowly to go fall back onto the couch - still not looking any of them in the eyes. "I mean, I'm in a stable relationship with a girl, but that doesn't mean I can't think Cedric has a good-looking arse. It doesn't force me to slap it every time I see it, though." He finished with a small, relieved laugh. Then Neville laughed, Daniel chuckled and when Hermione got over her small 'eww' moment, she laughed along as well - and it was like the tension had never been there in the first place.

Authornote: If anyone among my readers has listened to the Podcast 'Potterless', you might find the jinx used on Umbridge to be familiar. If you haven't, the genius Mike Schubert (the creator of Potterless) came up with the idea and it has then been left in my notes to rot, ever since I listened to it some years ago. If you ever read this Schubes, I applaud you *